Peter Debye

Peter Joseph William Debye (March 24, 1884 - November 2, 1966) (born Petrus Josephus Wilhelmus Debije) was a Dutch physical chemist.

Later life

In 1938 the Nazi government began to insist that Debye give up his Dutch citizenship and become a German citizen. Debye did not want to do so, and since he had been offered a chance to give a series of lectures at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, traveled to the United States of America. He ended up staying at Cornell, became a professor (and, for 10 years, chairman of the chemistry department, and member of Alpha Chi Sigma) there, and in 1946 became an American citizen. Unlike the European phase of his life, where Debye moved from city to city every few years, in the United States he remained at Cornell for the whole remainder of his career. He retired in 1952, but continued research until his death.

Related Topics:
1938 - Nazi - Dutch - German - Cornell University - Ithaca, New York - United States of America - Alpha Chi Sigma - 1946 - Europe - 1952

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Much of his work at Cornell concerned the use of light-scattering techniques (derived from his X-ray scattering work of years earlier) to determine the size and molecular weight of polymer molecules. This started as a result of his work during World War II on synthetic rubber, but was extended to proteins and other macromolecules.

Related Topics:
Molecular weight - Polymer - Molecule - World War II - Synthetic rubber - Protein - Macromolecule

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In April 1966 he suffered a heart attack, and in November of that year a second, which proved fatal.

Related Topics:
April - 1966 - Heart attack - November

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